19) Something I love about Switzerland and Germany...no train reservation fees (unless it's a night train). Instead of taking the night train to Copenhagen for €40, I decided to spend a night in Hamburg, Germany, where my hostel only cost me €12! I caught the morning train to Hamburg - about a 9 hour ride! I was wearing my shorts because I left beautiful weather in Interlaken. I got off the train and everyone was wearing their winters! I got a lot of strange looks.

I strategically planned my hostel to be out the door of the station in case I had to leave really early in the morning. I met Megan, my roomie from Texas. Exploring the city, we discovered that we are kindred spirits in many ways and both want to return to Edinburgh! We got 'lost' - usually I'm pretty good at following maps but Hamburg has no structure whatsoever to its street layout. This city pleasantly surprised me. Gorgeous architecture and has a good culture feel to it. I wish I would have been able to go to some museums and been able to check out the music/theatre scene. Next time!

20) I walked around for awhile in the morning until my free walking tour started. I went to the Riobopan, which I didn't realize is the red light district of Hamburg. The guide was awful and not engaging at all, so Megan and I left early. I did learn Hamburg has been plagued by fires in the past, charring much of its history. Just terrible luck!

I caught the 13:30 train out of Hamburg. You know how I was rejoicing about no reservation fees? Well here is where I learned the relevance of having them. I was on the platform waiting for my train to arrive. When it pulled up, everyone started flocking to the door and pushing. I was in a fairly good place in line, but because everyone was shoving, being a polite, kind Canadian, I took a step back. Boy, was that a mistake!

 I was lucky enough to make it on the train, only to learn it was absolutely packed. I met the loveliest young couple, Jimmy and Mia from Bali. We all hung out together, sitting on the aisle floor. There was NO room to move. I didn't realize this was the only 'special' train to Copenhagen; it detaches from it's tracks and drives onto a ferry to get there! Someone got up and a German man and his two kids offered one of us a seat. Mia and I cuddled into a chair to share with the German girl. Such a lovely family! Then we started talking to a Norwegian boy named Hans and a Swedish family of five across the aisle! We all visited for 4 hours and they shared their candy goodies with us. It turned out to be the best train ride of all! These are the moments I live for :)